The Detroit area may be one of the best-kept travel secrets around.
Sure, Detroit may be facing some challenges these days, but the spirit and perseverance of metro Detroiters is still strong-and I can't count the number of times I met or read about Detroit visitors who say how warm and welcoming metro Detroiters are to those who visit our hometown.
So, when I received an invitation to join travel bloggers and share my three best travel secrets, I immediately knew I had to share some of my favorite Detroit-area destinations!
Most people seem to think of automobiles when they think of Detroit, and while the automotive industry may drive much of Detroit's fortunes and misfortunes, I'd contend that music really represents the heartbeat of Detroit.
Growing up in the Detroit area meant that I grew up hearing music from an amazing array of Motown talent. It's easy to take that musical heritage for granted when it was essentially the soundtrack for your early life, but Motown's 50th anniversary celebration this year gave me a new appreciation for the music and the people responsible for making it.
Detroit's Motown Museum is in the modest blue-and-white house that served as Motown's original home and today draws avid Motown fans from around the world, although few Detroiters or other visitors seem to make the trip. Motown's story is one of pride and empowerment, and it holds a unique place in the city's music, culture and politics of the volatile 1960s. The museum tour is well worth taking, if only to see the fabled Studio A and be amazed at how many big sounds came from such tiny quarters.
The Detroit suburb of Dearborn is home of one of the largest Arabic populations in the nation, so it makes sense that it is home to the Arab American National Museum (AANM). The museum looks rather nondescript from the outside, except for a bright blue tile facade over the front door, but visitors will find a sun-filled interior centered by a spectacularly domed, three-story atrium. Ornate woodwork and intricate tile mosaics lining the walls give visitors a sense that they are visiting an exotic location, while the thoughtful displays tell the story of Arab American history, culture, and contributions to society.
The AANM also plays a large part in sponsoring one of our favorite events every year, Detroit's multi-day world music and diversity festival, the Concert of Colors. Festival highlights the last couple of years for us came when Detroit's own, musician and super producer Don Was, orchestrated Super Sessions highlighting an eclectic bill of new and vintage Detroit talent.
The third secret I'll share with you is Woodward Avenue. I drive a portion of this road nearly every single day, but maybe the recent designation of Woodward Avenue as one of a select group of 31 routes qualifying as All-American Roads through the National Scenic Byways program will give me a greater appreciation for this gem in my own neighborhood.
Woodward isn't scenic in the classic sense, but it has its own urban beauty and holds a unique place in the country's automotive history. Self-guided tours of the road available through the America's Byways Web site allow visitors to easily locate Woodward landmarks like the location of the world's first four-way, tri-color traffic light, Henry Ford's innovative assembly-line factory that spurred Detroit's growth by drawing workers in the early 1900s to take then-generous five-dollar-a-day-jobs, and the mile of road that was the world's first mile of concrete roadway.
Woodlawn Cemetery is also another interesting stop along Woodward. It is the final resting place of civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks and many well known early auto makers, as well as home to a unique tribute to Michael Jackson.
Classic car buffs may know Woodward best as the site of the Woodward Avenue Dream Cruise, a celebration of vintage vehicles that draws more than a million people each August.
So, come to Detroit! There are plenty more great Detroit-area "secrets" where these came from, many which you'll read about here at Midwest Guest.
Meanwhile, I'm tagging five more members of our travel blogging community to see what secrets they may be willing to share with readers!
Thanks for revealing your Detroit travel secrets. I'm coming for the Motown.
Posted by: Donna Hull | December 10, 2009 at 06:19 AM
Donna-We'll give you a warm welcome...oh, and stick around for even more music. Bob Seger, White Stripes, Alice Cooper, Eminem, Iggy Pop, Aretha Franklin...lots more in Detroit beyond Motown. Red Hot Chili Peppers' Anthony has roots in Michigan. I'll probably think of more after I leave this reply :)
Posted by: Dominique King | December 10, 2009 at 07:45 AM
I hope to someday visit Detroit and other parts of Michigan -- If I do, Motown is for sure on my list. Thanks for sharing some other secrets from there. Have a great day.
Posted by: TheWordWire | December 10, 2009 at 10:50 AM
We're happy to learn that the Arab American National Museum is one of your favorite Detroit-area destinations! If you like Concert of Colors, be sure to check out Global Thursdays at the museum.
Devon
Arab American National Museum
Posted by: Devon | December 10, 2009 at 07:55 PM
WordWire-Lots of great stuff to do and see here in Michigan...poke around the blog, and you'll find plenty of stories about many different corners of the state :)
Devon-Thanks for stopping by! We've gone to the Concert of Colors for a number of years (as "groupies" for the past several years), and I've done several blog posts about it--ask Kim or Barbara. We've been enjoying the videos posted by Don Was at My Damn Channel.
We've yet to go the Global Thursdays (one of us is has classes at WSU at the exact wrong time this semster...hopefully, we'll get down there for it one of these days. Sorry to miss the southwest program this month...looks like it will be a good one!).
Posted by: Dominique King | December 10, 2009 at 10:07 PM
Fab tips, thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Katie, Tripbase | December 13, 2009 at 01:29 AM
Katie-Thanks for starting the meme...it was a fun post to do.
Posted by: Dominique King | December 13, 2009 at 08:13 PM